HEPBURN HONORS TRACY IN DOCUMENTARY

Frank Sinatra once asked Spencer Tracy if he had any advice on how to be a good actor. "He said, 'Be on time, know your words and hit the chalk mark,' " Sinatra recalled. "And he said, 'Just react. Acting to me has always been reacting. Listen like hell all the time.' "

Spencer Tracy -- for decades regarded by his peers as the consummate film actor -- listened and reacted better than almost anyone. Whether he was born knowing how to do that or learned it along the way is a moot question, but thanks to a full scholarship, Tracy was able to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts to develop his craft. He has been dead for nearly 19 years, but last week the memories of Tracy and the affection he earned were very much alive as a star-studded crowd of friends and admirers gathered to honor him at a benefit for the Academy.

Katharine Hepburn, Robert J. Wagner, Sidney Poitier, Stanley Kramer and Sinatra were the speakers at the event, which featured the premiere of a documentary called The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn. The film, which was shown at the Majestic Theater but is also scheduled to be broadcast by PBS-TV, (2 and 9 p.m. tonight, Ch. 42-WXEL; 1 p.m. Sunday, Ch. 42-WXEL and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Ch. 2-WPBT) included clips from 30 Tracy films and interviews with such colleagues as Elizabeth Taylor, Joanne Woodward, Angela Lansbury, Mickey Rooney, Lee Marvin, Joseph Mankiewicz and Joan Bennett.

The Academy benefit also marked the establishment of the Spencer Tracy Endowment Fund for Student Scholarships. "Spencer Tracy, with his attitude of 'Learn your craft and get on with the job,' is the best lodestar any beginning actor could have," commented George Cuttingham, the Academy's president. Tracy's daughter, Susie Tracy, accepted the school's "Lifetime Achievement Award" in honor of her father.

During the course of a 37-year career, Tracy made 74 films, playing roles that ranged from killer to priest to judge to fisherman to sportswriter. He had a profound impact on his co-workers.

"He was my old friend, my mentor and the man I thought of as a second father," said Wagner, who made two movies with him. "I'm a lucky fellow: A great man touched my life deeply. I was a mere lad in the shadow of this giant, but Spencer Tracy influenced me, inspired me and gave me a sense of self-esteem. Everything I know about working hard and having standards, I learned from him."

"Without question, Tracy's career could serve as a textbook for the craft," said Poitier, who co-starred with Tracy and Hepburn in Tracy's last film, Guess Who's Coming To Dinner.

Tracy's legendary ability to react onscreen was particularly appreciated by Kramer, who directed the actor's last four films. "Spencer Tracy could react better than a fellow who had three pages of dialogue and take the scene right out from under him," Kramer observed.

Hepburn, who is 76 years old, received a standing ovation as she walked onstage. Among her offerings was Tracy's audition report from his first arrival at the Academy in 1921. She grinned mischievously as she read aloud his ratings.